Best weather radio for your home, and for power outages
For your bedside, buy the Midland WR120B ($47.00). It is the only radio we checked where the maker states both county coding and Public Alert certification, so it wakes you for warnings in your county and stays quiet for the rest. For power outages, add the Midland ER310PRO ($99.99). It runs on a crank, solar or USB-C and turns itself on for NOAA alerts.
Look up your county's code and channel
Our picks
Best bedside alert radio
Midland WR120B
- Set it to your county so it wakes you only for your warnings. Midland: “25 Programmable Locations (counties/provinces)”
- Public Alert certified, the label the Weather Service tells buyers to look for. Midland: “Public Alert Certified”
- Loud and visible. Midland: “3 Selectable Warning Systems: 90dB Siren Alarm, Flashing LED or Voice Alert”
- Has a jack for a strobe light or bed shaker, for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Midland sells both for it.
Watch for
- It plugs into the wall. Put in three AA batteries, which aren't included, so it keeps working when the power goes out.
- It has no crank or solar panel. For a long outage, add a crank radio like the one below.
- On Amazon it's sold by another seller, not Midland, so price and stock can change. Midland's own store sells it with the ER310PRO below as a two-radio bundle ($133.14).
Sold on Amazon by BSDBH, not Amazon or the maker. Stock and price can change quickly.
Best for power outages
Midland ER310PRO
- Turns itself on for NOAA alerts. Midland: “The radio remains in standby mode and automatically turns on when a NOAA alert is received.”
- Several ways to keep it running. Midland: “Multi-Power Sources: Rechargeable Battery, Solar Panel, Crank Generator, USB-C Charging Port”
- Charges your phone. Midland: “Power Bank for Charging Mobile Devices (USB-C Output)”
Watch for
- Midland doesn't say you can set it to your county, so expect alerts for the whole area its station covers.
- No spot for AA batteries. If you'd rather keep spare AAs on hand, get the ER310 below.
Sold on Amazon by the maker's own store, Midland Radio.
If you want AA battery backup
Midland ER310
- Same idea as the ER310PRO, plus a spot for AA batteries. Midland: “6 AA Battery Compartment (backup power option)”
- Still alerts when it's off. Midland: “Alerts are still received when radio is OFF (unless in charging mode for external devices).”
Watch for
- Like the ER310PRO, Midland doesn't say it can be set to your county.
Sold on Amazon by the maker's own store, Midland Radio.
Amazon prices as of October 14, 2026, 10:00 PM Pacific. Prices change; Amazon shows the current one.
What the Weather Service says to look for
- A weather radio, not a regular radio. "The broadcasts cannot be heard on a simple AM/FM radio receiver."
- The right label. "we do recommend users look for receivers with the Public Alert and/or the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) All Hazards logo."
- County coding (SAME). A SAME radio alarms only for the counties you enter. The Weather Service: "SAME receivers will respond only to alerts issued for the area (or areas) you have selected."
- Battery backup. "Since power outages often occur during storms, having a receiver with battery backup can be crucial."
- A jack for a strobe or bed shaker, if anyone in your home is deaf or hard of hearing. "Some radios have a jack to plug-in external notification devices, such as strobe lights or bed shakers"
The Weather Service doesn't recommend brands. "NWS does not endorse a specific make or model of receiver." The picks above are ours.
Every weather radio we checked
Each answer links to the maker's own page or manual. Tap one to read the source. "Not stated" means we couldn't find the maker saying it either way.
Amazon prices as of October 14, 2026, 10:00 PM Pacific. Prices change; Amazon shows the current one.
How we picked
We started from what the National Weather Service tells buyers to look for, then read each maker's page and manual and kept only claims we could find in their own words. We have not tested these radios ourselves. Where a feature is missing from the table, the maker doesn't say it, which isn't the same as the radio lacking it.